The princess and her knight
by Naomi Neko
Summary: This story takes place after R2. My version of what had happened to Cornelia and Guilford after the ending of the war. Cornelia x Guilford rated M for it's language... just in case.
1. Always there

Chapter 1: Always there

It was March of 2019 and the war that had shaken Britannia to its very core and liberated Japan as a free nation once more had been over for roughly a year. The 100th empress of the Holy Britannian Empire, Nunnally vi Britannia, had held the domain once ruled over by her corrupt father and older brother ever since the end of that terrible conflict.

Other residents of the rebuilt royal palace included Nunnally's older sister Cornelia li Britannia, and her knight Gilbert G.P. Guilford. There were other inhabitants, but they mattered little in the grand scheme of things.

As a knight of the second princess, Cornelia li Britannia, Guilford was in charge of protecting her. He took his job seriously and never did it just because he was ordered to do so. It didn't matter that he was just a knight to other people. This was a job he did because he loved her.

Guilford was still very tall and slender with long black hair reaching his mid-back. He wasn't blind but still wear special sunglasses to protect his eyes. After the F.L.I.E.J.A incident, he remained hypersensitive to light leading to him wearing sunglasses so that it didn't bother him.

Cornelia was still in her private bathroom getting ready to take a shower. She had a lot of things planned that still needed her attention. The empress, Nunnally vi Britannia was holding a meeting to discuss matters that still needed to be fixed for a better nation.

Guilford was laying on his bed as he stared up at the ceiling. It was very dark in his room with no windows. There was something that still remained in his mind after his accident.

_Why did I survive that F.L.I.E.J.A blast? I remember when it occurred I could have sworn I knew death was calling my name. It just seemed like after, something else drew me away from that and… here I am. _He thought to himself.

Guilford realized the only person he could think of was the second princess of the Britannian empire. That woman was known as none other but Cornelia li Britannia and he had been her knight for quite sometime.

After the war, the two of them had become quite close. Neither of them ever shared secrets and no longer worried about the agonizing stress brought on by the battling events. This was a time of peace not just for them, but for all of the nations that were finally free of the dreadful battles and constant killing.

"Guilford, would you quit daydreaming already?" A woman's voice snapped as she opened the doors connecting their room.

Cornelia and Guilford's rooms both connected since this way he was close if something were to happen to her. Guilford still risked his life for her even after the war was finally over.

"My apologies, your highness." His cheeks turned red as he sat up on his bed. "I guess I just have a lot on my mind still about what's happened."

"How do you think I should have my hair?" She placed her long purple hair up on different styles with continuous frowns. "I want to do something different but nothing is coming to mind."

"Why not try braiding it?" He suggested to her. "I mean, not all of your hair but you could braid part of it down and have the rest of your hair flowing around you."

"That's not a bad idea, Guilford." She wasn't sure she could do it on her own. "Do you know how to do a braid like that though? I could only do it if it was on someone else's hair."

"I could try it, milady." He climbed off his bed and entered her room. "This is the first time I've seen you take an interest in beauty."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She scowled as she looked at him through her large vanity mirror. "Is it such a bad thing for me to have interest in such things? I'm a woman of good looks so I must prepare myself as such."

"Well, I mean it in a good way… it just seems like you've taken interest in more things than you have when the war was still going." He explained to her. "You always seemed so stressed out and you never smiled unless it was with…" Guilford stopped before he said her name.

Cornelia had always gotten upset with anyone who said her sister's name. Euphemia li Britannia was a very important person to her. It still made her heartache whenever she thought about her sister's death.

"I just think that we should try to enjoy all the different pleasures. Things that we couldn't enjoy when we were stationed to fight during the war. There is a lot I have always wanted to do ever since I was a little girl." She started to chuckle a bit to herself.

"Oh? What kind of things would those be?" He grabbed the hair tie from her vanity dresser and placed it between the small loose ends of hair and the long braided part.

"I've always wanted to see the ocean. Ever since I was a little girl, I used to always here how nobles would take picnic lunches to the beach. Sometimes they would wade through the icy water and splash around." She explained to him. "These people always went on about how nice the cool sea breeze smelled."

"I never knew you had such an interest in the ocean, princess." He looked down at her and smiled. "There is still so much that remains a mystery about you. You haven't really told me much about stuff like this."

"Maybe its because of the Zero Requiem. It just feels so peaceful without dealing with all this stress with war and close relatives dying all the time. I was never bothered by my crimes before but… now I wonder if it was even worth it in the beginning." She shrugged.

"There were a lot of things that remain really unanswered." He had said. "Anyway, I finished with braiding. I apologize if its not very good, I haven't braided hair in such a long time."

Cornelia looked at it from the back with a mirror and smiled. Her knight still had the same calm gentle hands as he always had. Guilford was much kinder and open towards people.

It seemed that after the war, even he had taken a huge personality change. Cornelia always thought of him as just being loyal to her. Never once had he gained much reason to show the finer qualities of his kind and gentle personality. Guilford was an amazing person and it was something that made her smile everyday.

Guilford's cheeks filled with a light crimson when she smiled at him. Cornelia had also gone through a personality change herself. She was no longer the careless war-driven woman with no purpose but putting Zero's life to an end.

Cornelia was a very strong and passionate woman. The strong adoration she had towards both her knight and her younger half-sister, Nunnally had been the main reason. It made him see a brighter side to this beautiful young woman who used to show no mercy to those that didn't obey her orders.

"You know, I've realized that a lot really has changed after the war. It's not so much the world but us as in, you and I." He looked away before his cheeks turned red again.

"Guilford, do we really have to discuss this? If we don't hurry, we are going to miss the meeting Nunnally is holding." She stood up and searched through her closet.

Guilford blushed as he closed both their doors, giving her the privacy she needed. He was still very loyal to her and respected her every right for privacy. As her knight, he was very strong-willed and still following her orders.

Cornelia shifted through each outfit she had in her closet. There wasn't much there except for her battle uniform, her knightmare suit, a few ball gowns and things she never wore in her life. Her dresser was filled with clothes closely fitting to that of a commoner's like of clothing.

Most of the clothing she had bought now was fancy commoner's clothing. It was still widely expensive but at the same time, pleased her every need for beauty and elegance in which she desired. Cornelia wasn't the type of person who would toss money around during her shopping travels. Nor was she the type of woman with any need to pamper herself with tons of pleasantries that really were unnecessary.

In fact, Cornelia was her own individual person who still couldn't care about what other people thought of her. It was the one thing that still remained a part of her personality.

Cornelia finally pulled out a purple skirt that reached her mid-thigh. The sleeveless white blouse had also served well with the skirt she chose. Her arms slid through the purple sleeves of dark purple overcoat. The nylons she wore covered her white legs with a darker complexion.

Guilford followed after the princess whom he was assigned to protect. The two had entered the conference room. Nunnally was at the far end of the long table. Cornelia sat in the seat to the left of her little sister as her knight has sat down beside his princess.

"Now, what is the meaning of this, Nunnally?" Cornelia looked at her. "We can't keep having meetings like this unless it's completely mandatory."

"Yes and I have already apologized about the last ones. This is a meeting that will discuss all of the things that still need our attention. One of those things are our the children who live in all parts of the country. These children are orphans of war whose parents were lost right before their eyes." She had explained. "They live on the streets and have no place to go and some of them die before they even get a chance. This is a matter I wish to fix so that we can save these children and maybe give them an opportunity to find new families who are looking to adopt and make up for children they lost."

"Alright but… how do you intend to do that? Think about how long it's going to take for an orphanage or two just to be built." She replied.

"Nunnally, you shouldn't worry so much about the people." The shaggy blond haired man sitting across from Cornelia replied. "I know you want to do your best to bring happiness but…"

"Schneizel! Don't you dare fill my our sister's mind with your twisted thoughts." She sat up and stood over the table with rage. "I will not have you crushing her spirits for what she plans to do. Her intentions to bring happiness are probably far better than anything you can come up with."

"Dear Cornelia, you mustn't lose that little temper of yours. It's not good for your health one bit." He laughed deviously at his sister. "Nunnally needs to use her power for something everyone can make use of. We don't need any little things that would only make a bigger mess."

"Damn it, Schneizel… when are you going to realize that you aren't in control? You know that she has every right to make her own decisions." She snapped.

"Hm, is that so? You never thought that of little Euphy, now did you? Always protecting her and never letting her explore the world? Yet you believe that Nunnally has that right as of now?" He knew that Euphemia was a touchy subject towards her. "If only you would have let go of her, I bet she would still be here."

Cornelia's angry tears had mixed with her sadness to her sister. They trickled down her rosy red cheeks as she glared at her twisted brother. The two of them had always picked fights toward each other ever since he had shot her and almost killed her.

Guilford got up as quickly as she did while she stormed up to her bedroom. Cornelia slammed the door and sobbed quietly but hard into her pillow. Schneizel was always the same twisted bastard he had been and that would never change at all.

Cornelia heard a light knock against her door. She knew it was just her knight but when she tried to speak, all that came out were harder sobs. Guilford peeked inside her bedroom and saw her crying.

"You know you shouldn't take what he says seriously. He says those things to you because he knows that it will anger you. That's he wants, princess. I know it's hard to ignore what he says but…" He could tell she wasn't ready to talk yet but this still caused a sharp pain in his chest.

"It wasn't what he said to Nunnally." She sat up and continued to sob. "Schneizel had no right talk about Euphy that way. I admit that I always had a desire to always protect her but I never objected to her opinions."

Guilford hesitated at first until he finally placed his arms around her. Much to his surprise, she had actually place her head onto his broad chest and sobbed. Cornelia really had changed into a better person.

"But you should know that Schneizel doesn't see that. He's a selfish man that only cares about what is best for his own judgments." He blushed madly as his hand rubbed her back. "It doesn't matter if people are thriving because of hunger or lack of shelter. The empress is too naive and independent to follow his orders. She sees the little things that he wants to ignore."

"I know your right but… he still had no right talking about Euphy that way." She gripped his shirt while burying her head against his chest. "That bastard of a man never cared about my sister."

Guilford continued to rub her back, seeing that it calmed her down. His cheeks were still bright red as she hadn't once objected to this. Cornelia was probably so upset that she didn't realize this was unlike her.

"What do you plan on doing now?" He looked down at her. "After all, I think it's best if you avoided him for a while. You can always discuss these matters to her majesty in private."

"Who do you think was right about Euphy?" She finally said as she sat up to face him. "I want an honest answer as to why you think that."

"You… because I believe that you had every right to protect her. Anything can happen when there is a war. You really can't be sure of what smaller dangers could have caused her to be kidnapped or captured as a hostage." He explained to her. "I think in that respect, it was only natural for you to protect her from that."

"Guilford…" She said his name as her cheeks filled with a light pink. "…you're such a good listener and the only person I know that rushes to my aid whenever I shed even when tear."

Guilford's cheeks turned a bright red when she said that. It was obvious her personality had changed for the better. Cornelia no longer saw him as just a pawn for her battles just because of his skills. He was a very dear and close friend to her, whom she loved more than she believed.

"P—Princess… your words are… t—too k—k—kind for… for me to… a—accept." He looked away with disbelief. "After all I'm just your knight, aren't I? I'm only doing what I was chosen to do."

"You're more than that to me. Haven't you learned by now that this isn't just a knight and his princess?" She scowled as her finger poked his muscular stomach. "You shouldn't say things like that when you know we are always going to be the best of friends."

Cornelia placed her head on his broad chest. Her arms wrapped slowly around his back as his cheeks turned red again. Guilford smiled as he held her tightly in his protective embrace.

"Princess, you deserve so much more than you believe." His hand gently rubbed her back until she had fallen asleep. "It's just a matter of time before you really find the reason you still keep living."

Guilford frowned at those words while thinking of the accident. It wasn't so much as to why he had a reason to live but more of how he had survived such a deadly blast. His eyes would never be able to see light the same way again.

To be continued…


	2. Second chance

Chapter 2: Second chance

It was close to one in the afternoon when she woke up. Cornelia blushed when she found herself snuggling against her knight. His body heat felt soothing as she kept her arms surrounding his stomach. Guilford had already fallen asleep on her bed while holding her in a protective embrace.

Cornelia realized there was something about him that kept her calm. It wasn't because he was her knight that he had a way with settling her down. There was just something about him that made her smile that afternoon.

Guilford slept so peacefully on her soft bed. His snoring was light and hardly an annoyance to her. He breathed calmly and with so much ease, causing her to fall asleep again.

Cornelia didn't want to let a moment such as this go away. Her knight had always remained loyal but also kind to her as well. There was something more she felt than just being good friends with him.

Nunnally had wheeled herself out of the elevator. Her wheelchair moved to her sister's bedroom where she slept close to her knight. The young girl felt she was at fault for what happened that morning.

"Cornelia… can I talk to you?" She didn't want to go further into her sister's bedroom without getting stuck. "We have to talk about what went on this morning."

Cornelia groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. She sat up and gave a large yawn while her arms stretched high. Guilford had woken up too with his cheeks turning bright red upon realizing he fell asleep with her.

"What is it you wish to talk about?" She looked at her sister with a calm look. "I do apologize for my outburst this morning but… you know how much he gets on my nerves."

"It's me that should apologize. I shouldn't have let him attend the meeting. We don't really have a good council right now." She frowned. "But it's still going to be okay because Zero ordered him listen to my ideas. He also ordered him to stop fighting with you all the time too."

"Zero… did that?" She was surprised since he was the one who killed her sister. "I don't believe you. Zero was the one that killed Euphemia."

"But it's not a lie, Cornelia! Zero serves me now as my knight. I was upset this morning because of what Schneizel said to you." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I know that Zero killed our sister but… he wouldn't do anything that I objected to."

Cornelia kneeled down in front of her sister and smiled. Her mind was always thinking of others and not of herself. Nunnally always worried about people who still were without homes, who were starving to death and who lost something dear to them.

"You're right. Zero isn't a bad person after all." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I can never forgive him for killing Euphy but… I can accept him as your knight."

Guilford was sitting on top of her bed still. There wasn't really much he could say in the matter. Euphemia never seemed found of the knight Cornelia chose as her own so maybe that's why he couldn't say anything.

"Anyway, there are more important matters to attend to." She stood up and helped Nunnally out of her bedroom. "I can't believe I slept all day though." Her cheeks turned red.

"I don't think I've ever seen you sleep so close to Guilford either." Nunnally started to giggle. "There isn't something you aren't telling me, is there?" She looked up to see her sister's cheeks even redder.

"Of course not. I have no idea where you get those crazy thoughts, Nunnally." She looked away while scowling.

"Cornelia, you should just admit you're in love with your knight." The voice that made her fists clench spoke behind her. "I would have thought much better of you."

"What do you have against me? We used to be so close as children and now we are jumping down each others throats." She tried to remain calm. "You will never be the brother to me that you were during our childhood."

"My, my Cornelia… you might as well just stick a knife through my heart." He frowned at her. "After all, I was ordered by Zero to apologize to you."

Cornelia couldn't stand the man her brother was. She pushed her sister's wheelchair into her room where Zero waited. Seeing the one who had killed Euphemia before her eyes didn't make the situation any better.

No one knew that Suzaku was really underneath that Zero costume. To the world, he was known only as Zero. It was the fate he had received in order to stay alive and protect Nunnally.

Therefore he had to act like Zero even when he felt it was impossible. Suzaku wanted nothing more but reveal that identity. The reason he had ordered Schneizel to cut the remarks about Euphemia was for his sake, as well as Cornelia's as well.

"You may protect my sister as a knight and I accept that for her sake. However, you will never be anything more to me than the one who killed my sister Euphemia." She said with an angry tone. "It's going to take a lot more than telling Schneizel to leave Euphemia out of affairs to earn my trust."

"I have no intention of gaining your trust. I only wish that you would put all the past discretions behind us." He spoke as if in the words of Zero.

"We'll see." She replied as she walked out of the room. "As for you, I will never see you as my favorite brother ever again."

Guilford was sitting on her bed where he had stayed. He didn't find it necessary to constantly follow his princess. Cornelia wasn't like other princesses. Her abilities were far greater than anyone he had ever met.

Not only was she a good knightmare pilot and a talented solider but she was also a skilled swordsman. This had made her into the unique woman he was still devoted to.

Most princesses would spend their time buying unnecessary things. Others would spend time worrying about appearance or worry about little matters that normal woman had enjoyed.

That wasn't the kind of woman she had been. Her appearance was important but she didn't find it so important that her wardrobe had to be filled with clothes. Nor did she take interest in things a normal girl would thrive for.

Guilford continued to think about why he was still alive. It still made him wonder why he had survived in the first place. The F.L.I.E.J.A was meant for destruction to anything that got in its way.

Everyone thought he died in the blast, even the princess herself. Nothing seemed to add up as to why he was given a second chance. That was until she walked into the room with an angry expression.

A beautiful goddess-like face with tears streaming down her delicate cheeks. Something had set her off like a rocket again. His heart sank when she slammed the door behind her.

"Did something happen that I should know about, princess?" He replied as her head buried itself into his lap. "You haven't been having a very good day. It's really starting to concern me."

"It was just _something _that happened but… someone." She turned to look up at him with her head still in his lap. "…and there was more than one too."

"Do you want to talk about it?" His tone was calm and soothing, much better than the two voices she hated hearing. "It doesn't help to bottle things up inside."

Guilford look down at her as his fingertips rubbed her forehead. They moved to her cheeks, going back up to her forehead and down her nose. Cornelia's cheeks turned a bright red when he did this.

"What's there to talk about?" She smiled as he looked down at her. "The fact that Schneizel is a selfish bastard or that Zero killed Euphemia?" Her smile flipped upside down.

"Those two again, huh?" His voice was always calm. "You really should give Zero a chance though. I know you can't forgive him for what he did but…"

"Yeah… I know. I have to give him credit though… he is very loyal to my sister. It makes me happy that there is someone to look after her." She sighed.

"And that is why you should accept him." He continued to run his fingertips over her forehead. "What are we going to do tomorrow?"

"I'll tell you what we're going to do…" She sat up with a stern look. "Get the hell out of this palace for one day. I need to get away from that… bastard." Her fists clenched with anger. "If I have to see his face one more time I'm going to—"

Guilford placed his hand on her fist, loosening the tight grip it held. Her cheeks turned a bright red as he rubbed it with his other hand. Cornelia could almost feel her knight's concern.

"I don't mean to make you worry so much." She replied in a softer tone. "Still, I guess that's why I'm glad I still have you." Her fingers wrapped around his with a smile.

"Of course you'll always have me, princess." His hand moved to her cheek. "I'm the only person who would never let you down." He let his thumb rub against her cheek.

Cornelia found her lips moving close to his with no intent. Her heart was racing through her chest as his breath brushed her lips. Guilford could feel the sensation of her lips pressing against his cheek.

_Of course she wouldn't really kiss me on the lips… _He thought without frowning. _That just isn't like her. _

Cornelia chuckled as his cheeks were filled with redness. It wasn't a kiss on the lips but it still meant more to him than he imagined. Guilford was starting to realize why he was given a second chance to live.


	3. Beacuse you live

Chapter 3: Because you live

It was a bright sunny morning. Cornelia was awake but the one thing that made her want to sleep was the massive headache pounding immensely. This was probably due to the stress she faced with her older brother, Schneizel. The two of them were always getting into arguments and never got along.

Guilford opened the doors to see that she wasn't awake. Something seemed to be bothering her enough to cause her to cry. His fingertips ran over her cheek with a huge frown.

"Princess, what's wrong?" He asked with his voice flooding with concern. "I can tell you aren't looking well." His heart sank to his stomach seeing her sick.

"It's… nothing." She sat up and cringed as she placed her hand over her forehead. "I don't want you to worry about me."

"But you know I will anyway." He placed his hand on his cheek. "Do you have a bad headache?" He placed his hand over forehead.

"Yeah. I was trying to sleep it off but the pain continues to be more agonizing." She frowned as she laid back down. "Do me a favor and check on Nunnally." Her voice sounded weak from the pain.

"But… I can't leave you in your time of need." He frowned at her. "That would totally go against my will as your knight."

"Guilford, that's an order." She poked his chest. "I'm not in the mood to face my bastard of a brother right now." Her voice was angered just thinking of him.

"Okay but… try to get some rest. I'm going to bring you something warm later." He rubbed her cheek with his fingertips and kissed her forehead. "I can't stand seeing you not feeling well."

Guilford closed her door by a crack for privacy. He peeked into Nunnally's room to see that she must have been awake. His footsteps proceeded down the staircase and saw the empress with Zero and Schneizel sitting there.

"Oh? Your princess isn't with you? How unloyal that makes you as a knight." His voice was filled with evilness. "I still cannot think of why she appointed you as such."

"Schneizel please!" Nunnally pleaded him. "I wish you would stop treating my sister and her knight that way!" Her voice was filled with a deep sadness.

"I don't know why you allow this." He scowled at her. "You should be doing something to prevent this."

"Don't you think you should listen to what he has to say?" Nunnally ordered him. "I want the fighting to stop!"

"Fine. I apologize for being a jerk." He snickered. "I still think you are being unloyal to my sister."

"As if you're any better. I'm not leaving her because she ordered me to check on Nunnally. She's not feeling well right now. You push her too hard and that's why she falls ill." He shot Schneizel an angry glance while pouring water into a glass.

"I'm just doing what I think is best." He was stirring his tea with a spoon. "Nunnally shouldn't worry about the little things in life."

"Stop it… now!" Nunnally screamed at the top of her lungs. "I'm not going to say it again. I order you to stop making decisions for me!" She had never been this angry before.

"Schneizel, you're really stressing everyone out, you know that?" Guilford carried the glass of water upstairs with two Tylenol in his hand.

The woman still sitting up in her bed was finally relieved of his arrival. He could tell she was growing impatient before and would have to make it up to her. Guilford placed the two pills into her palm and handed her a glass of water.

"It took you long enough." She said under the usual impatient tone. "Did my brother give you hell again?" She couldn't stand the man he had become.

"Oh yeah…" He growled as he looked away. "He had the nerve to tell me how unloyal I was to you as well." His hand rubbed her thigh as she took both pills.

"I hope you didn't pay any mind to it." She took a few more sips of her water. "Schneizel wants all the attention. It doesn't matter who or what gets destroyed in the process because as long as all eyes are on him, nothing can ever bring him down."

"Was he always like this when you were younger?" He noticed her look away from his gaze and frown. "If it's too touchy for you to talk about then you don't have to."

"No… it's fine and no, my brother was never like this. He was always much stronger than me as we were kids. Sometimes if there was a bully outside the palace, he would beat them up before they ever laid a hand on me." She explained. "I remember one time when a terrorist tried to attack me, Schneizel had gotten so angry about it that he actually killed the guy."

"Wow… didn't he get in trouble for it?" Guilford looked at her with surprise. "Or were you both still pretty young?"

"No, we were still young." She faced him as she continued her story. "It wasn't until we both got older and began maturing. Schneizel had all these ridiculous ideas for his reign as emperor. A lot of them were the same ideas you here him preach to Nunnally. He doesn't care about the amount of lives that are lost…" She sighed.

"So it was basically his maturity and lack of trust?" He replied. "I guess I'm glad you saw those evil ways. You were also kind of interested in power as well but… at least you were able to change your mind."

"I wish you wouldn't talk about that." She looked away. "It's bad enough I made too many mistakes to count for. I can never gain the appreciation for the people like my half-sister Nunnally."

"I don't want to see him hurt you though." He told her as his cheeks turned red. "You're the most important person to me in the whole world. If I lost you, I would never be able to forgive myself."

Cornelia looked away as her cheeks blushed. It wasn't like she had a crush on him but sometimes she wondered if she really was in love with him. Guilford was the only one that had been there for her from the start.

"Sorry… I hope that didn't make you angry, princess." He looked away as his cheeks continued to fill with redness. "But I really can't stand him bullying you like that."

"I know but… there isn't really much that can be done." She placed her hand against his cheek and smiled. "Nunnally doesn't like fighting and we both need to acknowledge that."

Guilford placed his hand over hers and moved her palm to his lips. Her cheeks turned red as he started to kiss her palm. Cornelia placed her head into his broad chest as he held her in his usual protective embrace.

"You really like being held now, don't you?" He smiled as he kissed her forehead.

"Nah… I only like being held by you, my knight." Her cheeks flushed red as she buried her face against his chest. "Sometimes I feel like you're the only that gives me all the comfort I need."

"That's because I could never let you down, princess. I want you to be happy and smiling all the time. It's what makes me smile because I know everything is alright." He rubbed her back as he continued to hold her. "But when you're upset, I feel like I'm not being a good knight unless I give you that happiness you need."

"Why do you always have to make me blush?" She started to chuckle as her arms wrapped him tighter. "You seem to have a way with flattering me so much."

Guilford's cheeks turned red when he realized he couldn't find the answer. It was clear to him that he loved her and he cared deeply for her. Yet, his words seemed too sudden for the woman that had lost so much to her.

"Isn't that what a knight is supposed to when his princess isn't feeling well?" He replied as he kissed her forehead.

"Mm, I guess you have a valid point there." She blushed as his lips moved slowly toward hers.

Cornelia could feel his soft breath brushing over her lips. Her resistance made it obvious she was surprised by this. Guilford was so close to finally kissing her when the small voice made him blush.

"I wanted to see how Cornelia was feeling." She had said to them. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Her calm personality had finally returned.

"No… it's fine, your majesty. You weren't interrupting anything too important." He smiled as he let go of Cornelia. "We were just um… having a conversation."

Nunnally started to giggle at the two of them. She knew something was up between them even though they had never been aware. Cornelia blushed as she looked at her little sister's deep concern.

"You don't have to worry about me, Nunnally." She smiled at her. "I actually feel a little better now."

"That's good. I was worried that Schneizel had caused trouble for you again." She frowned. "He can be such a pain sometimes. It's totally despicable because he is just like our father."

"Our father wasn't the greatest man in the world." She sighed. "But I really don't want you to feel concerned by that. I know you can make things better than what either of them could do."

"You really think so?" Her cheeks turned red as she giggled. "I just want to do the best I can to aid those that were hurt because of the war."

Guilford loved what Cornelia had become. The old Cornelia shared the same views her half-brother still carried. The new one had ditched those ways after realizing how much corrupting that it created the empire.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She smiled at her sister. "I'll leave you to alone now."

Cornelia started to blush when she looked back at him. His cheeks turned just as red as hers became. Guilford didn't know what to do or even say at the point. Anything that broke the silence would only cause more awkwardness between the two of them. Someone had to remove the barrier standing in their way just to let them know how much they truly cared for one another.


	4. Can't smile without you

Chapter 4: Can't smile without you

It was a bright sunny morning. Cornelia was already up and awake for this new day. She was in the bathroom getting ready to take a hot shower. This seemed like the only way for her to clear her mind. There were still so many things that had run through repetitively, causing more than just confusion. Nothing felt worse than being so confused by the feelings she had toward her knight and also her must trusted companion. The two of them had become more than just a princess and her knight. They weren't just partners who fought side by side during the war nor were they devoted just because they were meant to be.

Both Cornelia and Guilford shared a bond that couldn't be destroyed by anyone. Not even by her evil twisted half-brother, Schneizel el Britannia. Yet, their feelings towards each other still remained a mystery between one another. If anyone could show her what these feelings meant, it was her knight Guilford. The only person in the world that knew what made her smile everyday. The only person who knew how to make her feel okay when she knew things really weren't okay. As well as the only person that seemed to show her so much of his devotion that she had nothing to do but blush to every flattering word he said to her.

Cornelia finally got out of the shower as she got dressed. The door opened as she looked up to see him staring at her. Guilford blushed and looked away from her before something happened he couldn't take back. "U—um… so… so what should we do now, your highness?" He replied as he walked at her side.

"We're going to skip the meeting with Nunnally." Her words were devious but filled with anger as well. "If I have to face that bastard of a brother again… ugh. I don't even want to think about him." She clenched her teeth together as her fingernails dug into her palm.

"Then don't think about him. If you want to skip the meeting, I won't stop you because I know he bothers you." He told her, pulling her fingers from her palm. "Look at what you're doing to yourself…" He frowned as he pulled a few tissues from his pocket. "You need to stop worrying so much about what he says."

The blood soaked the tissues, stinging painfully as he patted her cut palm. Cornelia blushed as she went back upstairs to get bandaged up. This was the exact situation she was going through with her knight. His devotion and caring personality towards her was something she couldn't ignore.

"If we go do something, just you and I, can you promise me you'll smile more?" He knelt down beside her and placed two gauze pads on her palm. "I can't smile unless I know you're smiling as well." His cheeks turned red as he wrapped her hand in gauze wrap and taped the ends.

"Yeah… I'll try to." She looked down and blushed at her hand. "But how can I smile when he can't keep his godamn mouth shut?" Her teeth clenched again until he touched her cheek with deep concern. "I'm worrying you a lot, aren't I?" She placed her other hand over his.

Guilford's cheeks turned a bright red when she caught him in the act. It was true that he really was worried about her. He worried about her everyday and even every night. There just was never a time when he didn't have her on his mind. The devotion he had towards her could only be defined in one word that even he wouldn't mention to her.

"Is it really that obvious, your highness?" His eyes finally met hers through his tinted sunglasses. This caused her cheeks to fill with redness when he said that to her. Guilford just couldn't go a whole day without knowing if she was okay. "How are you going to tell Nunnally that we aren't attending the meeting?"

"Do you have to ask me that?" She looked away while her hand continued to throb. "She needs to understand that Schneizel and I can't be in the same damn room." Her tone was harsh and shrill.

"Princess, please…" He replied to her in a voice filled with sadness and concern. "Let's just go out somewhere so you can get away from this stress. I'm so worried about you right now that… I just can't stand it."

Guilford grabbed hold of her good hand and pulled her out of the palace. The two of them got into the royal car as the chauffeur asked them where they were going. Neither of them really had any idea. Cornelia placed her head against his chest and started to blush madly. There was something that felt calm about his body heat surrounding her as he wrapped his arms around her in a protective embrace.

"Let's just go to an ice cream shop where they serve flavored ice cream." His cheeks turned red as he held her close. Guilford frowned as he looked into her sad violet blue eyes, realizing how much her brother angered her. "Princess, everything will be alright, okay? I don't want to see you like this." His tone was filled with deep concern toward her.

Cornelia's phone started to go off but she felt like she couldn't answer it. He pulled it out of her pocket and answered it for her. Guilford knew what was the empress wondering where they were. "I don't think she wants to face Prince Schneizel." He replied without giving her chance to answer.

"Is it really that bad?" Her concern started to increase for her sister. "I wish there was something more I could do. Schneizel is a bullying type of person. If I kicked him from the meetings then I would be encouraging his behavior."

"Yeah… I can understand that. You can't really do much about it but just try to reason with him." He explained to her. "Maybe we should hold off on the meeting. I'm sure you and Cornelia can talk about it amongst yourselves."

"Can I talk to her?" She asked. "I feel like it's my fault that this is happening. I can't do anything to solve this problem for her."

Guilford looked down and blushed when noticing she had fallen asleep. All the stress had been causing her sleep schedule to run off course. Cornelia was obviously too exhausted to think about the matter at hand.

"I don't want to wake her up, your majesty… you should give her time to think about it for a while." He told her. "I'll let you go since we're getting close to the ice cream shop." Guilford rubbed her back and frowned.

"Alright, I'll see you later." She told him.

"Bye." He hung up and placed a kiss on top of Cornelia's forehead. It was a kiss that was filled with his deep concern for her. Guilford let his fingertips rub against her soft delicate cheek while she continued to sleep. "Oh, princess… what am I going to do with you?" He replied as he held her tightly.

Cornelia had woken up just in time for them to reach the ice cream shop. Her cheeks filled with redness as she realized she fell asleep against him. "Ugh… I need to get better sleep at night don't I?" She looked up at him just to see his eyes welling up with deep concern.

The two of them entered the ice cream shop. Guilford just got vanilla ice cream while she got strawberry. Cornelia sat down beside him as they both started eating their ice cream. "What did my little sister have to say?"

"She feels bad about the while situation." He told her.

"Does she now?" The cold ice cream ran down her throat as sent chills into her body. "I figured she would have concern for the situation." The pain in her hand seemed to sting when it was moved around.

"There really isn't much for her to do. You have to realize that if she kept him out of the meetings, it will only give him more reason to know what he says bothers you." He explained to her the best he could. "We're just going to have to cooperate with him the best we can."

"Like that will ever fucking happen." She growled angrily under her breath. "No one can get a damn word in edgewise without laying his fucked up believes on top of her." The situation still wasn't making her cheer up any faster.

Guilford wrapped his arm around her waist just to calm her down. "Let's try to have fun and not think about it. I hate seeing you so upset, princess." He took a small bite of her ice cream just to receive a look of surprise.

Cornelia lightly hit his chest and did the same to his ice cream. "Two can play that game, you know!" Her tongue stuck out towards her knight as she hid her ice cream away. "You aren't having anymore of it.

Guilford scooped up another bite and placed it in his mouth. "I know all your weaknesses, princess." He poked her stomach until she squealed. "There is just something nice about the way you smile." His lips were only a few inches from her, causing the both of them to blush at the same time.

"Is this remotely necessary?" Her face darted away forcing him to kiss her cheek. "You're only making this more difficult for me to handle." She felt his arms wrap around her stomach just to keep her close.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, princess?" He looked at her as she started finishing her ice cream. "I'm only trying to make you smile more. I told you I can't smile unless I know you're smiling too." He blushed.

Cornelia wasn't sure what to say to that. Her head rested against his shoulder, blushing when he kissed her forehead. Something felt really comforting about the way he held her like this. It wasn't a feeling just anyone felt from a cradled embrace. This was filled with devotion and concern towards her that she knew he held for her. Nothing compared to the way he truly made her feel just by cuddling her close.

Guilford placed his cheek against her forehead, refusing to let her out of his protection. There was something that felt right about them holding each other close. The two obviously loved each other more than anything. Yet, neither of them seemed to feel ready to blurt out their true feelings. To them, this was merely just a strong bond of friendship the two had always shared through the hardest of times.


End file.
